Because the 4 C’s are not adequately addressed within the core curriculum.

Developing 21st Century Skills Through Chess

A primary component of this model (from p21.org) for education is Learning and Innovation Skills, broken down into the 4C’s:

-Critical Thinking

-Creativity

-Communication

-Collaboration

Our Balanced Approach for Targeting the 4 C’s:

Traditional Chess has been proven to increase Critical Thinking and Creativity (see Research).

Speed Chessincreases the ability to think clearly under time pressure (a crucial skill for standardized testing). In standardized testing situations, experienced chess-players are generally more comfortable as they have had plenty of practice managing differing amounts of time. Not only do they know the difference between five minutes and ten minutes mathematically, but they know what these differing amounts of time feel like.

Chess Doubles, or “Bughouse,” is a variation of Chess in which two players play on a team versus two other players. Each player still manages his or her board and timer (as each player starts out with five minutes for the game), but he or she must collaborate effectively and communicate concisely with his or her partner in order to win. We integrate this advanced and exciting version of chess into our program to ensure that our program fills the “4C’s Gap” by helping students to develop high levels of communication and collaboration along with the skills of creativity and critical thinking.